End of the Innocence
by Thine Dreamer Doth Take Flight
Summary: Two contrasting souls come to realize they have more in common than they believed. Mirage X Ryou Friendship.


_A/N: I should probably stop treating my characters like canon characters and pairing them up with a lot of people that actually are canon, but I can't help it if my mind comes up with these things. This came to me one night before I drifted off onto dreamland, and I thought it was interesting enough to do a little One Shot for it. Please read on if you will and enjoy if you can. Thank you._

* * *

**End of the Innocence**

Sunlight drifted in through the sheer curtains of the bedroom, telling the dark-haired woman something she didn't want to acknowledge. It was hard enough to get enough sleep due to her curse and being stuck inside the body of an angst-filled teenage girl, but now that she had been separated from that irritating mortal and could get sleep the sun was trying to take that away from her. She turned her exposed back on its illumination, expecting to find her lord of darkness lying beside her where she might find enough comfort to drift back into oblivion for a few more hours. Instead she found nothing when her arm went through where he should have been and only touched the tangled sheets on the bed. Shocked, she opened her dark eyes to confirm his absence and sat up, scanning the room for any sign of him.

He had left her without saying a word. Any other woman might have been angry by his silent departure or glad that he had been thoughtful enough to let her sleep, but she was neither of those things. She was simply surprised. Her lord of darkness was not the kind to shag and leave nor was he the thoughtful kind to leave her in peaceful dreams. No. This wasn't much like him at all. She quickly slid into her discarded underwear and his black jacket, covering up enough of herself to avoid any sort of embarrassment, before stepping out of his bedroom to find him.

She spotted his fluffy head in the kitchen accompanied by the smell of something cooking. It was not in his character to cook, but who else could it be? She recognized that white hair and that striped blue shirt and those pants too well to mistake him for someone else. He was the only man who looked like him.

"How dare you sneak away without telling me," she chided in a feigned angry tone. "What am I to do with you, Bakura?"

The man turned around to look at her, but it was not who she thought it was. No. Those innocent brown eyes and that cute little face revealed her mistake all too well. She hated herself for thinking this mortal was her lord of darkness, but it wasn't her fault. He and her love looked the same from behind.

"Oh. Good morning, Mirage," he greeted kindly with a smile.

"What's so good about it, Ryou? I'm still cursed, Carrie's still with Dartz, and the world's on the verge of ending at someone else's hand again," Mirage grumbled, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. "Where's Bakura?"

Ryou shrugged. "He doesn't tell me anything, really. I just woke up out here on the couch not too long ago without any explanation. He's probably just tired from…uh…what you two did last night, and I guess he needed a break and didn't want to bother you about it."

Mirage laughed. "Him? Tired? Never. And it's not like we did much. I wasn't up to it because of Carrie being angsty again…It sucks being connected to her even when I have my own body. No, if he's not in control of your body it's because he's fretting about not being the one putting the world in danger again and didn't want to bother me with such trivial matters." She sighed and lost her angry demeanor. "Well, what good does that do when those thoughts are already on my mind? We should be the ones making the Pharaoh worry, not Dartz and his band of pathetic mortals and Carrie. And Carrie should be the one trying to fight me, not me trying to fight her. Everything's so backwards here…"

"You shouldn't be worrying about this when you've just woken up," Ryou commented, sliding a plate of food onto the table behind him. "Why don't you eat something and then we can consider this little predicament we've gotten into? It'll wake you up, and I've been told that thought becomes easier when one has a full stomach."

"Eating is an activity of mortals. I don't need it to survive," Mirage muttered, but then her stomach growled loud enough for even little Ryou to hear.

"I believe your body would disagree," he teased lightly.

"Damn this body! I prefer it when I just control Carrie's and such trivial things as hunger do not bother me!" Mirage snapped. Having a body of her own to command had always been something she wanted, but that was before the so-called blessing had been granted to her by an Orichalcos-infected Carrie. Her former host had cursed her to not be able to use her powers on anything with a heartbeat besides herself and to not have all the benefits of an immortal spirit controlling an organic vessel. Hence why she felt hunger now when the last time she had been separated from Carrie she had felt nothing. She reluctantly took a seat in front of the food, poked at it with her fork, and with great irritation began to eat for the first time in five thousand years.

Ryou joined her at the table several minutes later with his own breakfast and made a point to sit as far away from her as possible. She didn't know if it was because he feared her even with her new limitations or if he feared angering Thief Bakura by being too friendly with her. Perhaps there was another reason for it altogether. Mortal feelings beyond fear and hatred and the like were above her head; she could never really understand them at all because they were just so confusing. They ate in relative silence because neither really had anything to say to one another and had never really exchanged words before. He knew she was only here for his darker half and she knew he could never relate to her. She was a cursed spirit that desired to end the world to stop the pain living things caused one another and he was a mortal with two gifts—the spirit of Thief Bakura and the ability to die. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to die…

Despite their differences, Mirage found the silence to be a little awkward. She didn't quite understand the feeling of awkwardness, but having been stuck with a socially-deprived teenage girl for so long, she at least knew of the kind of situation that might be considered such a thing. The way Ryou kept his gaze away from her as he slowly ate made her think that perhaps he found this situation to be pretty awkward himself. He was too shy a person to do anything about it, so the responsibility to eliminate this irritating atmosphere fell on her shoulders. She would have to instigate a conversation.

But she wasn't that great at carrying conversations with mortals. She usually talked about ending the world or murdering people or she just focused all her energy on insulting and taunting the mortals to whom she spoke. Carrying on kindly was just not her thing because of the kind of woman she was. Around Thief Bakura she never had to be concerned about such things because he wasn't mortal nor was he much different than her. He enjoyed talking about death and destruction just as much as she did. She doubted Ryou Bakura would be like him in that aspect, though. This kid was just too kind-hearted for something like that. So what in Anubis's name was she to say?

"…So…How have you been?" Mirage asked pathetically, mentally cursing herself for asking such a stupid question.

Ryou shrugged. "I suppose I've been as well as anyone can be when a dark spirit controls them for most of their lives. It can't be much different than you have been. You're suppressed by Carrie all the time, never get any freedom, etcetera, etcetera…"

"Yes. I suppose you have a point there," Mirage agreed. "We have…both been prisoners to a stronger will, haven't we? Only mine happens to crack every now and then to allow me a chance at freedom…Yours, however, is…a lot stronger. How long has it been since you actually had control of your body for more than a few minutes, anyway?"

"…I'm not sure…Let me see," Ryou murmured, putting his fork down and counting on his fingers. "…Today is Wednesday, so…It's been about three months, three weeks, and six days since I last had control of my body for a good long while. Not counting the day when the Matrons left, that is, but I believe we can count that as an exception."

"That long? But what about when you were helping Joey out with the Matron kids?" Mirage recalled.

"Bakura had control then as well. He was just acting like me as to not alarm anyone," Ryou replied. "I guess he wanted to see what was so special about those mortal spirit children that they had to be raised here and didn't want to observe through my eyes. Well, he still saw it with my eyes, but…You know what I mean." He then added, "When was the last time you were free for any length of time?"

"When we were in that virtual reality of Noah's. That was about a month ago, give or take a few days," Mirage admitted.

"I think I remember seeing you there. It was only for a brief moment and you were in that doll form because of Carrie losing that duel, but you were there," Ryou remarked with a smile. "And now we're both free, but your freedom will be longer than mine since you have your own body once again. It may not be under the circumstances you wanted, but it's better than nothing."

"…If you say so," Mirage mumbled.

The conversation grinded to a halt as both people awkwardly returned to eating their breakfasts. Mirage didn't realize that she could have anything in common with a mortal like this one until just now; it was an interesting realization to make at any time, but particularly at a time such as this one. She felt somewhat compelled to learn more about this other side of her lord of darkness—it was driven by such a mortal feeling, this curiosity she was experiencing, that normally would have sickened her but didn't do so now—and found herself looking at him even though he was looking far from her.

Ryou had tamer hair than his counterpart—though it was still white and fluffy, it didn't stand up as much as it did when Thief Bakura was in control. His face was softer, carried a gentle expression that another mortal might label as cute. His mouth, surrounded by smooth and well-shaped lips, never seemed to carry anything worse than a contemplative line or a confused pout. She couldn't recall ever seeing Ryou frown like his counterpart did a little too often. His nose was the only thing that was the same between the two—it was small but not too small and long but not too long. It was the one she had rubbed against with her own whenever she had kissed Thief Bakura, only surrounded by a different face. Overall, she found that she liked his face just as much as she liked the one she embraced in the shadows of darkness.

What really caught her attention were his eyes. Big and brown and lively, they contrasted Thief Bakura's more than anything else about him. Whereas her lord of darkness's were smaller and darker and—dare she say it—dead, his never came close to it. So many emotions could easily be seen within them, and yet not a single one was negative or hateful in any way. He seemed to have a positive outlook despite harboring a destructive force within himself, something a dark spirit like herself couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around. Her host Carrie was never this kind or positive despite being in a similar situation. Carrie was just so depressing while Ryou was so happy with eyes to match. Mirage could even go so far as to say his eyes were pure, perhaps as pure as snow—a complete contrast to the sinister eyes of her lover, which were as dark as shadows in the blackest of nights.

"How?" she asked before she realized the word had escaped her lips.

"What?" Ryou seemed a bit startled by her sudden uttered word.

"…How can your eyes be so pure?" Mirage wanted to know, locking eyes with him and knowing he wouldn't look away.

"I…don't know what you mean. I didn't even know eyes could be pure," Ryou admitted.

"They are considered to be the gateway to the soul. If one looks hard enough, one can see the true nature of a person's soul and heart," Mirage explained. "Thusly so, if the soul is pure enough, the eyes can be considered to be that as well. But…You are gripped by a darkness, a hatred, that is nearly as strong as me. You shouldn't have anything resembling pureness in your soul. Carrie doesn't. Hers is one big mess of emotions. Yet yours seems so…innocent. How can this be so when Bakura dictates your life with his darkness as he does?"

Ryou smiled. "We are not the same, Bakura and I. We are two separate souls inhabiting a single body. My soul is not tainted by his nor will it ever be. He may rule my life, as you very well know, but he will never rule my heart. I have endured much because of him…I can't even begin to tell you of it because there simply isn't enough time. But despite my suffering, I…I always manage to find something positive to look upon and draw strength from it that keeps me from drifting towards the darkness. There is always good to be found if one is willing to look for it. Unfortunately, our dear friend Carrie has yet to learn this, which is why her soul differs from mine despite being in same situations. Do you understand what I am saying, Mirage?"

"…I believe so," Mirage murmured. "You and Bakura are like Carrie and me, two souls within one mortal vessel. I should have known…Perhaps it is through my own immortal blindness that I failed to realize the difference between the thief and the boy. His soul is like mine, dark and elusive and hateful, while yours remains clear because of your own mindset about life. This keeps you from being like Carrie, which I suppose is a good thing because there are already enough angsty teenagers in the world as it is. One less is a nice change, let me tell you."

"I'm glad to be of service against your curse," Ryou commented politely.

"Now if only every other mortal being would be like you…," Mirage grumbled.

"Sorry, dear. There's only one of me," Ryou needlessly apologized, taking their empty plates over to the sink now that both of them were finished eating. "I may not be out very much, but here I am and here I stand alone as the only me I can be." He grinned childishly. "Hey…That actually kind of rhymed a bit."

Mirage laughed. "I suppose you're a poet and you didn't even know it. But you have a point there, my little friend. We are all the only ones like us and we can only be who we are. As a pop artist once sang, we are who we are."

"Exactly," Ryou agreed, turning to face her. He lost his smile and his lips became an indifferent line as he let out a sigh. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Mirage. I suppose we'll see each other again sometime if you're around when Bakura lets me have my body. He wants control again, so…Goodbye for now."

"Wait." Mirage was on her feet and standing only a few inches from the boy now. Ryou still had possession of his body—she could tell that by looking at his eyes, which were widened in confusion at her actions—and she wanted it to stay that way. "Bakura," she said, speaking through Ryou for a moment, "let Ryou stay for awhile longer. I have never had a chance to learn about your other side, this docile spirit that is you reincarnate. You know my other soul just as well as you know mine. I ask you to give me the chance to know yours. Please."

She hated pleading or using that terrible word, but she didn't want her time with Ryou to be cut short like this. He fascinated her in a way that nothing had fascinated her before; she wanted to understand him and why she was drawn to him as best she could. Of course, she would never admit that to Thief Bakura. He would just get jealous and throw a fit, which in turn would irritate her and cause them to fight violently and destroy things and then have angry intercourse all over the place. She wasn't in the mood for all that crap, so she would just have to hide her true intentions from her lord of darkness for both of their sakes as well as that of Ryou.

The white-haired boy diverted his gaze from hers, looking down to the left. She imagined he might be listening to Thief Bakura then, but couldn't be sure since she was no mind-reader. Would Thief Bakura ignore her pathetic pleas to resume control of the body? It was in his character to do as he wished and not what others would want. But she had never asked anything of him before, and if he truly felt for her what mortals called love, she didn't think he would turn her down.

"…He has two questions for you," Ryou told her at last. "The first…Are you starting to become interested in me? And the second…How long do you want me for?"

Mirage couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Of course he asks those things. Bakura, I'm not in any way falling for Ryou. He's a mortal completely opposite of me and you know how fond of his kind I am. And I'll have him as long as I want. You shall know when I am through with him."

"Why the sudden interest in me, Mirage?" Ryou asked of his own accord.

"…I suppose I'm tired of being around the same people all the time and needed a change of pace," Mirage replied. "Congratulations, kid. You're it. If you're uncomfortable with spending time with me, look at it this way. At least Bakura's not gonna throw you back in your cage as long as I want you out. He won't be controlling you until you start boring me, which won't be for quite some time. Think of it as a blessing disguised as torture."

"Now, I wouldn't say that spending time with you would be torture. That might be a bit harsh," Ryou remarked as his smile returned. "You may portray yourself as an evil immortal with only the world's destruction at heart, but you're really not that bad. I'd like to get to know you a bit better myself. Your disguised blessing will work out for the both of us, it seems."

Mirage scowled. "Don't go saying all that shit. I have a reputation to uphold, you know, and you claiming that I'm not that bad won't help it any."

"I understand. I won't say another word about it," Ryou promised.

"Good. Now, give me a few minutes to shower and dress and then we can head out. If I have to stay another hour in this place, I'll go mad…More so than I already am," Mirage admonished before Ryou could point out her insanity.

"We'll need more than a few minutes. I still have to shower, too," Ryou reminded her.

"Well, let's just hurry and get the hell out of here as quickly as we can then!"

* * *

Some time later, Mirage and Ryou were out of the his home and walking the streets together for the first time they could recall. She was wearing a red halter with a matching miniskirt and white boots, wishing she could wear her usual dress but knowing she'd stand out as odd in that. Thief Bakura's black jacket was also on her person only to assure him that she still only held him in her heart and not for warmth reasons because it was still freaking summer around here. Ryou dressed sensibly in a pale blue tank and jeans, contrasting Thief Bakura because that idiot would have worn long sleeves and dark colors as he usually did. She smiled, glad to know someone had brains in that head, but made sure it was gone before either Bakura could see it.

Blending in did matter some to Mirage, hence the difference in her outfit, but it was also nearly impossible. There were hardly any people with her complexion around here, the last being the Ishtars from Egypt, and thus her bronze skin was an anomaly that caught the eyes of those they passed. It might not have been as noticeable if her companion wasn't so pale, but he was so it made her seem so much darker. The attention bugged her more than it had before. She didn't understand why, but figured it probably had something to do with the fact she couldn't crush them if she wanted to thanks to Carrie using her own magic against her. Since she couldn't kill anyone for looking at her as if she was a freak, she crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at the world much like a child might if they didn't get their way.

Ryou remained silent at her side with that innocent smile on his face. If anyone else had been smiling while she was bothered, she might have considered it mocking and done something about it. But not him. He did not have it in him to be mocking. He was not the same as her lord of darkness.

She pulled him into the arcade that Carrie had gone to so many times with her pathetic group of friends, wishing to have a little fun destroying people in the only way she could now. Thief Bakura never would have agreed to such frivolous fun, but Ryou had no arguments against it. Mirage forced him to play every game with her; of course she cheated with her magic to win the ones she wasn't good at, but ended up quitting that trick because she found no pleasure in winning over Ryou in such a fashion. Even being forced to do things against his will did not bother the pure-eyed boy. He appeared to be having fun, something she would not be doing in his place. He was an odd creature, but she found him more intriguing with every passing moment.

The only game she did not force him to play with her was a dancing game she had seen several times before. The most memorable was when Tea had played it against some stupid mortal named Johnny Steps, but even that was a faded memory lost in the past. She left Thief Bakura's jacket with the boy before she ran up onto the platform. Now she didn't much mind all the eyes on her; this was her stage and her time to shine, to defeat anyone that dared to challenge her rhythm. This was where she would truly destroy, though she would have preferred her normal means of destruction over this in a painful heartbeat. She demolished the person that had been beating everyone else before her arrival with her sensual movements and precise timing. Everyone that followed in his footsteps met the same fate.

Mirage considered her lover's possible jealousy as there were so many people looking at her, but it was a fleeting thought. He knew she carried no interest for mortals and was just trying to take her mind off of the new issues of the present, namely Carrie's betrayal of the world by going to the dark side, and therefore she wouldn't get a rise out of him for being so eccentric. He was more tolerant than she gave him credit for being—these mortals eyeing her thusly were in no serious danger at present.

As she finished off her twelfth victim, she locked eyes with her companion in the audience. The look on his innocent little face made it clear that he had been watching her this whole time, and when he realized she was staring at him color quickly rushed to his face and he diverted his gaze in just as swiftly. Shy boys often reacted that way—she had observed Yugi doing it on occasion when Carrie or Tea caught him staring at them—but she hadn't expected to catch him looking at her. No. The only Bakura that was supposed to look at her was Thief, not Ryou. Perhaps her sensuality was becoming a bit too much for the kid. She had temporarily freed him from the control of her lord of darkness to help him, not condemn or embarrass or torture him. She had to stop this for his sake.

But she couldn't stop on such an odd number as twelve—she had to end on thirteen.

She faced her last opponent to a song that brought out her most provocative movements of their own accord. Ryou's face only grew redder as a result, for which she actually felt some remorse. She hadn't meant to cause such distress for such a pure soul. That wasn't her intention. His innocence was meant to remain untainted for his entire life, and yet it seemed a part of her wanted to test that. She began to detest that part of herself and just wished this song would end already…and also that the crowd would stop cheering her on for her sensuality because that was clearly the only reason they liked her.

Mirage leapt from the stage as the game ended, victorious for the last time and glad to free Ryou from his embarrassment. She took her jacket off of his hands and slipped into it before escorting him out of the arcade. Staying there now would be a mistake since she had drawn so much attention to herself. Besides, she had gone against her word and tortured Ryou with her body. She was only supposed to do that to his counterpart when Thief Bakura was being a bad boy. Staying there would only hurt him.

"…Sorry," she apologized for the first time she could recall. "I…I didn't mean to put you through that."

"Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. You just…surprised me," Ryou mumbled, his pure eyes refusing to look her way because of his flustered expression. "And you shouldn't be apologizing, Mirage. It will ruin your reputation as a heartless darkness intent on destroying the world."

"Damn my reputation! You are more important than that!" Mirage snapped, shocking herself and Ryou and Thief Bakura by her sudden declaration. She took a deep breath to shake herself of the anger before speaking again. "Look, I didn't mean it in the sense that I care about you in the same way I care about Bakura. It's just…I never had what you have. My being is made up of three fragments of souls: a completely evil one that controlled what are now known as the Earthbound Immortals or Nazca Lines, a miserable girl cursed by the gods to endure the pain of all living things and to go on living until pain ends, and the depression of Tawaret who is better known as Iris. The first part had no pureness about her, the second lost her soul before birth because even in the womb she could not take the pain and thus could not be pure, either. The third…Well, you know about Iris. Her suffering changed her much like Carrie's has changed Carrie. She was the closest to pure of my three parts, but not even she was pure.

"Purity," she continued, "and innocence are hard to come by. I don't think I have ever beheld one with such a spotless soul as yours. It is a gift to the world, a gift that overrules my need to destroy it and you. Your purity and innocence need never end, Ryou Bakura. Even someone as dark as myself knows this. Do not get me wrong. Every fiber of my being would rather me crush your pureness here and now than cherish it. And I will still see the world destroyed if it is the last thing I do. But…There is no reason to do that now, or ever really. You can go out of this world with your innocence. You deserve that chance I never had."

"…Mirage…You truly are a remarkable woman," Ryou commented, astonished and looking at her again.

The dark-haired woman gave him a grim smile. "I am not a woman, Ryou. I am only the fragments of three."

"Three created one whole, and you are that whole. And regardless of what you claim, I can tell you don't just want the world destroyed. You care about some of the people here, including myself, and would do whatever it takes to keep them from getting hurt. Even if you had all your power and could do whatever evil you desire, you would still do good in Carrie's stead until you had her back in the light," Ryou said sweetly. "Mirage, you are a kind and remarkable woman."

"Ryou…"

Mirage trailed off, but not on purpose. She was cut off by a sudden wave of pain from her curse and had the wind knocked out of her. It was all she could do not to fall over in the middle of the sidewalk. This kind of pain was a part of her curse that she was to blame for—by tagging onto the remains of Iris's soul so she could have new life, Mirage had doomed herself to feel the pain of her host body amplified to be greater than a hundred deaths at once. Carrie was her host, and even though they had separate bodies at the moment, the curse was still very much in effect. Last night Mirage had experienced a similar pain that disabled her when she was being intimate with Thief Bakura, as she had mentioned before when Ryou had broached the subject, and it had left her a trembling flower in the violent winds of agony. Her lover had been very kind then and held her against him until the misery subsided and agreed somewhat reluctantly it was better for her to just try to get some rest. She had found comfort with him then, but now she could not ask for his strength. She was alone in her suffering and about to collapse.

Two pallid hands reached out to steady her, hands similar to those that held her in the night but not quite the same. Ryou kept her from falling onto the concrete and lent what little strength he had to her in order to keep her on her feet. She would have thanked him for his characteristic kindness that he extended to her, but if she opened her mouth she feared all the contents of her stomach would come up all over him. She must have looked sick to him because he carefully helped her over to the nearest trashcan and even held her hair out of her face when she lost the will to keep everything down. She heaved and heaved and heaved until nothing was left and still she heaved dryly because the pain ailed her thusly. Still Ryou remained at her side, oblivious to the stares of those that passed them on the street. Mirage was not as oblivious, but was in no condition to care what they thought of her.

"Let's get you back to the house," Ryou suggested.

Mirage shook her head as she finally managed to speak. "…No…It'll pass…"

"We can't have you suffering out in the open like this. You'll be much more comfortable at home than you would be lying in the streets for anyone to see," Ryou insisted.

"Carrie…She suffers outside the reach of anyone that truly cares about her…Dartz torments her and twists the truth to get her to do what he wants," Mirage remarked in a slightly bitter tone. "She…She has no comfort where she is. Why should I have a luxury she does not? It…It just wouldn't be fair…for me to lounge about in the home of my lover and his hikari where people care about a dark soul like me…while she lies in agony surrounded by heartless bastards that could never give a damn about a light soul like her …It just isn't fair…"

"…You really care for her, don't you?" Ryou asked.

"Someone has to," was Mirage's simple reply. "And a lot of people do…But it still wasn't enough to keep her on the path of light…And with her gone, it's like…a part of me is gone, too…"

"I…can't imagine what that must feel like," Ryou admitted as he moved her over to a nearby bench now that she wasn't getting sick anymore. "But you mustn't make yourself suffer. It won't bring her back or make anything better. She chose the path she did and there's nothing we can do to change that. You must accept that, Mirage."

"And why must I?! She's suffering, Ryou! I can feel her pain as if it was my own!" Mirage exclaimed. "Why must she always be the one to suffer?! She has not done a single thing wrong in her life without my intervening, and yet it's always her that must be put in the line of fire when something bad must happen! What good is her damn Matron-Watcher if that bitch allows all of this to happen?! How can the hero of the world whose soul is good and kind go through this while a wretched soul like me gets off scot-free?! Why would the gods do this to her?! I should be the one in agony, not her! Not like this!" She lost her anger and turned away from Ryou, clutching at her sides, repeating in a whisper, "Not like this…"

Against his better judgment, Ryou wrapped his arms comfortingly around Mirage's trembling form, echoing the actions of his counterpart from the previous night. Against her desires and repulsion of mortals like him, she actually found his touch to be somewhat soothing. Perhaps it was because of his untainted pureness pressing onto her untainted darkness that she felt such a thing—the abilities of the pure were unknown due to its rarity and thus it could be capable of anything—and she could have sworn that some of the pain rattling through her faded away. She absentmindedly rested her head on his chest, and just like Thief Bakura would have done in his place, Ryou rested his chin on her shoulder. She felt his breath where she felt her lover's before on her neck; if it was her lover, it would have made her heart race, but now it only served to further soothe her suffering if even just a little. Despite the pain of Carrie's angst, she managed to find some peace in the arms of her lord of darkness's hikari.

"Mirage," he whispered, unintentionally tickling her with his breath, "you are not as dark as you seem. You say the eyes are the gateway to the soul. You saw purity and innocence within mine. In you, you only see darkness, but one cannot judge their own soul. There is light in you, Mirage; both Thief and I can see it. That's why you care for Carrie and me and many of those close to us. You have the potential to do good, dear, and therefore you should exploit it while you can. Take Carrie's place. Fight the bastard that took her from us. Bring her home. Then the both of you can be at peace and return to your ways."

The dark-eyed woman blinked in shock. "…Did…Did you just cuss?"

"…Yes…," Ryou admitted. "…Is that all you got out of what I said?"

"No, but it was the most appalling thing," Mirage told him with a small smile. "You're a good mortal, Ryou, and you judge me well. I mean, who better to judge the good in others than someone who is completely pure? Perhaps I will try to fill Carrie's shoes for now…Until she comes home, at least. But don't you dare start thinking this means I'm going to give up my plans for world destruction. Mark my words. Once the world is straightened out plans will be going into motion. Do you understand?"

Ryou smiled. "Of course, Mirage."

"Good. Now help me get to the Pharaoh's reincarnate's place. I have some business to discuss with him," Mirage grumbled. She scowled. "Look at me, going to save the world only to destroy it in the near future. It would be so much easier just to let it go up in smoke now…"

"But what fun would that be?" Ryou asked.

"What fun indeed," Mirage agreed.

* * *

_A/N: Another plot-less One Shot, but it hints at a friendly pairing between Mirage and Ryou as well as the already developed pairing between her and Thief Bakura (Immortal-shipping is what that's called…unless it's taken by a canon couple.) If this was a legitimate pairing, it'd probably be called Innocence- or Soul- shipping. Anyway, what did you think of this little story? Please tell me without being rude. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day._


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